Anxiety is a state of worry, distress, uneasiness, or an unpleasant emotional tension. Normally, anxiety is an emotion that can be experienced by everyone. It serves as a signal that alerts the individual to a potential danger and indicates that precautions should be taken.
Fear is an emotion that serves a similar function. Fear emerges in the presence of a frightening event or object—that is, in a situation of threat—in order to enable the person to take precautions against a possible danger.
Although these two emotions resemble each other, they differ in terms of their underlying causes. In anxiety, the source of the fear that is felt is not clearly identifiable. This makes it difficult for individuals to cope with this emotion, because unlike real fear, there is no concrete cause against which they can take direct action.
The bodily sensations associated with fear and anxiety are very similar. However, the presence of anxiety, over time, begins to lead to behavioral and functional impairments.
Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders in society. In anxiety disorders, the content of the anxiety usually appears in the form of anticipating a threat that may occur in the future.
Patients describe this state as, “I feel as if something bad is going to happen, and I am afraid.” This sense of distress—often without a clearly identifiable cause—is commonly accompanied by symptoms such as palpitations, changes in blood pressure, feeling faint or fainting, paleness or flushing of the face, a sensation of not getting enough air, feeling as if one is suffocating, gastrointestinal complaints (gas, indigestion, bloating, nausea, etc.), inability to sit still for long periods, restlessness, trembling in the hands and feet, excessive sweating, a lump-in-the-throat sensation, difficulty swallowing, pressure in the chest, muscle twitching, muscle tension, and pain.
Symptoms may appear suddenly, or they may occur in a gradually increasing and intensifying manner. Individuals often interpret the symptoms they experience in a realistic way and may conclude that these could be signs of a physical illness.
In most cases, patients initially try to cope with these symptoms on their own. However, when they have difficulty overcoming the problem, cannot manage the symptoms, or notice that their social life has begun to become restricted, they may apply to other branches of medicine with the belief that these findings are symptoms of an illness originating from their organs.
When specialists in other medical fields are unable to identify a disease that could explain these findings, consulting a psychiatrist becomes the most appropriate step in order to find a definitive solution. According to current psychiatric knowledge, it is well established that in such conditions, the combination of medication treatment and psychotherapy is far more effective.
Which Disorders Are Included Under the Heading of Anxiety Disorders?
- Panic Disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Specific Phobia
- Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
- Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder